Black History Month is a reflection of the political moment, so how do we revamp it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it seems it’s time for a reassessment. Throughout its history, an observance that began as a celebration and reminder of the past, cultural identity and bonds between global Black communities, has adopted a corporate feel, growing to encompass events where individuals of African heritage are remunerated to talk to Caucasian groups about implicit prejudice and “allyship”. The 2020s Black Lives Matter protests generated a rise in the enterprise of showcasing anti-racist commitment. However, that period has concluded. The wave has reached its height, leaving a sort of hollowed out legacy of what promoting consciousness is for.
The Background of Black History Observance
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was conceived in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the middle of February. Black History Month evolved from this movement and was formally inaugurated in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the US and Canada in the second month, but also in autumn in the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Ireland and the Holland.
The month has evolved since that time, placing less emphasis on the histories of transatlantic enslavement and civil rights battles, and increasingly on notable African descendants in government, the arts, and social movements, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to mold society. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with lectures and artistic activities. But the method the observance is observed is a manifestation of the political moment. How it evolves is a valuable example in how co-option leads to erosion: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the objective of it, which is to tackle embedded and established prejudice.
A Disconcerting Period
Few things illustrate how important it is to rethink Black History Month better than the current time in which it takes place this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform organization is top in opinion ratings. In the recent season we witnessed the largest far-right rally in British history. the Conservative leader, the African descendant in charge of the Conservative party, is a firm opponent of anti-racism activism, and we are in a position where a legislator feels empowered to declare that a lack of white people in certain urban areas is a cause for alarm. Meanwhile, far-right parties are growing in the EU as a complete entity.
In the United States, a colossal assault against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, often successfully, to the supreme judicial bodies of the state. A drive to remove African American heritage and legacy from the historical documents is ongoing. One of the former president's early administrative commands aimed at the museum of African American legacy, and the renowned cultural organization, claiming they of a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history” by depicting the United States “as inherently racist”.
Against this backdrop, the celebration illustrates how insufficiently it can be influential if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered festivities of historical achievements, rather than confronting the realities of the present. It also shows how its restricted time span means that it is disconnected from the wider consistent effort that is required. Denise Miller, a prof at an educational institution, articulated it most accurately when she expressed apprehension about the fleeting superficial actions of the observance. “The problem with embracing a superficial method”, she stated, “is that it typically leads to that Black History Month evolves into a transient display rather than a driver of transformation.”
Rethinking, But Not Jettisoning
Establishing how to adapt, revise and extend initiatives for equal rights and acknowledgment in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a treacherous thing. There is a temptation to just discontinue things like Black History Month altogether, assuming they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an time that has been ineffective.
Yet, in spite of all this, Black History Month, and in fact the whole broad system and heritage of racial movements – grassroots Black Lives Matter organisations, diversity equity and inclusion initiatives, and indeed, including corporate presentations – constitute an infrastructure that a significant effort has been dedicated to. It is there not only to deteriorate as the situation evolves (and in fact, deteriorates), but to be a dynamic entity.
So what would a fresh vibrant Black History Month seem? Well, first, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed throughout the annual calendar (as various establishments are already beginning to do), parts of its content (particularly around historic Black characters) integrated into educational programs. It would also be a era that does not evade political issues, and provides room for individuals, particularly youth, to express their concerns and stories. What use is mere awareness of the bygone era when it doesn’t reckon with the current situation of ultra-nationalist gatherings in the urban areas? Institutions who mark it should not be reassured with the neutral terminology of implicit prejudice and awareness of subtle slights, but challenged by the threats that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. To summarize, Black History Month should be made contemporary, pressing, and adaptive. Maybe an total re-identification is necessary – Present-Day African Heritage Celebration.
